This invention relates to an exhaust system for a laser cutting device. The laser cutting device is particularly applicable for cutting designs, logos, and signatures in sheet material such as report covers, pocket folders, stationary, business cards, brochures, invitations, and greeting cards, and provides a convenient alternative to stamping, embossing, and conventional decorative die cutting. The invention quickly and efficiently removes smoke and fumes generated during operation of the laser from an area proximate the sheet material being cut.
In some prior art laser cutting devices, exhaust systems are provided which attempt to exhaust these fumes downwardly through openings in the cutting table. These type of systems are generally ineffective at the point of contact between the laser beam and the work piece being cut, since the work piece itself obstructs the flow of air through the nearest openings in the cutting table. Other systems utilize a top cover arranged over the laser cutting device and cutting table, and a widely distributed upper vacuum to remove the smoke and fumes from an area above the work piece. These systems are likewise ineffective and do not properly exhaust fumes from directly beneath the work piece during cutting. Unless properly exhausted, these fumes can scorch and stain the underside of the work piece, and will contaminate the laser optic over a relatively short period of use.
The present invention addresses these and other drawbacks and limitations of the prior art by providing an exhaust system for a laser cutting device which simultaneously removes smoke and fumes generated by the laser during cutting from an area directly above and below the work piece being cut. The invention includes a number of exhaust ports formed in the cutting table which cooperate with a vacuum source to draw smoke and fumes downwardly away from the sheet material to prevent scorching and staining of the sheet material. The invention further includes a traveling localized vacuum for drawing smoke and fumes vertically upwardly away from the sheet material during cutting operations to prevent contamination of the laser optic. The exhaust ports and localized vacuum communicate with a single vacuum source for practical and efficient operation.